Skills Development (SD)

Although most prospective entrepreneurs who approach TSiBA for assistance have viable business ideas and are motivated to participate in the economy to uplift both themselves and their communities, they lack fundamental business know-how. Simply providing resources without adequate and rigorous training and mentoring would be setting the prospective entrepreneurs up for failure. A large percentage of individuals who knock on our doors are unemployed and looking for a way to become economically active and we have found that career education is required to guide the individuals to making informed choices.

Through its Small Business Academy (SBA) – launched in May 2012 – the University of Stellenbosch (USB) Business School aims to give life to its vision of meaningful engagement with society at large. The USB hopes to contribute in its area of expertise, namely business education.

The TSiBA Ignition Centre has been part of training component since its inception to design and developed the training material in an effort to develop confident entrepreneurs who will be able to earn sustainable livelihoods and create jobs. The SBA initiative comprises a nine-month business development programme for SMME’s from Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain which covers small business essentials, marketing, financial management, personal development, computer training as well as business plan writing and presenting. These business skills programmes have been redesigned and presented by the TSiBA Ignition Centre in practical SMME development programs.

Northeastern University Field Study Programme (Click here to learn more)
Since 2008, the Northeastern University Field Study Programme is a partnership between the TSiBA Ignition Centre and Northeastern Social Enterprise Institute. The programme runs for two weeks with 40 Northeastern University students partnering with 80 TSiBA BBA-2 students to support 25 local South African entrepreneurs. In small groups, students act as consultants in business areas, such as marketing and finance, to assist the entrepreneurs develop and grow their startup businesses. Finally, the intercultural exchange between the American and South African students working together in micro-enterprise challenges makes for a unique and rich learning experience.

Socionext is a peer-to-peer talent development community aimed at raising funds for scholarships for talented young people in Africa by mobilizing students to participate in Social Entrepreneurship Challenges. In just 14 weeks, the Socionext Entrepreneurship Challenge guides, inspires and tutors its participants through the development and implementation of their very own social innovation and entrepreneurship projects. All Socionext enterprises strive towards a common goal: to generate income that funds scholarships for South African students from disadvantaged communities. Since February 2014, the Socionext Entrepreneurship Challenge has been incorporated into the final-year Innovation Course for Bachelor in Business Administration Innovation students at TSiBA.

In collaboration with the TSiBA Ignition Centre, YPC Entrepreneurs Club is a fun, creative space for grade 8-11 students in a greater Pinelands High School to explore business ideas, learn about business, and make some money. Using interactive games to help facilitate learning, the programme provides student participants with an introduction to business and entrepreneurship, innovation, market opportunity, and how to write and present business plan.

If you would like to learn more about skills development, please contact the Ignition Centre Manager, Abraham Oliver, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

The Tertiary School in Business Administration (TSiBA) was founded in 2004 with a vision to “Ignite Opportunity”. Our mission is to be an innovative learning community that graduates entrepreneurial leaders who ignite opportunity and social change.

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TSiBA Alumni Star | Andile Dyonase - 10 Aug 2017

“I’m completely humbled by the experience I gained at TSiBA and I want to raise awareness about what can be achieved and more importantly, to raise awareness to graduates. Sometimes they [graduates] leave school and forget to invest in themselves. I think it’s always important to invest in yourself.” - Andile Dyonase

We were so proud of our 2016 Eden cohorts that accepted their certificates on Saturday 29 July 2017 in Eden. Former SA Reserve bank Governor Gill Marcus gave a heart-warming speech and motivated our graduates to step into the world of opportunity.